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WrenDraco
08-05-2009, 02:56 AM
PetSmart received a couple dwarfs waaaaay smaller than usual, the little guys were half the size of the ones already in there. So I took one of the poor things home before the bigger gouramis bullied them to death (the other one found a home too, they're just so cute). He seems super happy in the 10-gallon with the neon tetras, he's been getting a little bigger and his nipped feeler is growing back nicely.

At least, I'm assuming it's a he, since he was delivered under the Male Dwarf Gourami UPC, but he's hardly got any colour yet. I've got some photos but I can't do good close-ups and he's not very obliging about posing for the camera. Do you think he's just young, or actually a female? It doesn't really matter anyway, the little critter is hilarious when he bops around the tank poking with his feelers so I don't mind if he doesn't end up pretty. But now I'm curious.

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rich311k
08-05-2009, 03:19 AM
Hard to tell for sure from those pictures but I think it is a male.
Typej084
08-05-2009, 03:59 AM
I'd probably say young male as well, it looks like a mini version of my guy, mine had washed out colour when i bought him, now he's a shiny blue with red stripes but just wait a while and see if it's colour develops. :guitar:
Gramazing
08-05-2009, 04:34 AM
Is the back of his/her top fin pointy or rounded?
mac
08-05-2009, 09:05 AM
His top fin looks rounded to me. Though it has a bit of a male shape, and color pattern.

Some closer up pics would help.

mac
EddyC
08-05-2009, 03:13 PM
I'd say it was a female, because the dorsal fin is rounded. Females also tend to be smaller, and grow a bit slower than males the same age. Females also have a more "arrow head" shape to the front half of their bodies; males look more like boats.

It could be a male though, since the "runts" are often bullied by the bigger fish and so don't color up immediately and can even look like ladies to help deter aggression.
jaysee
08-05-2009, 04:11 PM
Is the back of his/her top fin pointy or rounded?

That is only true of full sized gouramis, not the dwarfs. The female dwarf is colorless.

Female
Neemod
08-05-2009, 07:46 PM
I'd place my bet on Female

Simply because of the description and in pic number two it has female written all over it.

Hard to tell though
jaysee
08-05-2009, 07:49 PM
I'd place my bet on Female

Simply because of the description and in pic number two it has female written all over it.

Hard to tell though

I agree that in the second picture it looks like a female.
Red
08-05-2009, 07:50 PM
I say female too, but better picture would help.
Neemod
08-06-2009, 11:13 AM
In the case that this does turn out to be a female I'd say that you lucked out WrenDraco because females are hard to come by.
LFS don't really like to carry them because of the fact that they are not as pretty as the males.

P.S That's not MY opinion however, I think they're just as pretty but not as vibrant because of the dull silvery gray color :)